Why GameStick may have the edge over Ouya

You can’t talk about GameStick without mentioning Ouya and vice versa. Both upcoming Android-based consoles made waves on Kickstarter. Both feature tiny “consoles” and a wireless controller. The two are geared toward indie developers. It’s just that Ouya was out of the gate first, and being ahead, it seems to have made bigger waves. (Full disclosure: I am an Ouya backer.)

But players shouldn’t overlook GameStick. PlayJam has put some serious though and backing behind the product. Plus, the company behind the device has the infrastructure and know-how to build an ecosystem for games. They have built a network across digital TV, mobile and online platforms. Saying they know what they’re doing with GameStick would be an understatement.

This is the dev unit that was part of its Kickstarter program.
I spoke with Anthony Johnson, chief marketing officer for PlayJam, he outlined the system, the target audience, its Kickstarter campaign and the differences from its competitor. First off, he said GameStick would be coming out at the end of June, and from the demos they had running at their GDC event, they had a fare amount of content. He said it amounted to 30 games already.

GameStick is a console that looks like a thumb driver. Players stick it in the HDMI port of their monitors, the stick connects to the controller and it’s ready to play. It’s simple. When players are done, they can grab the GameStick and put in the controller and take everything with them. Johnson showed off a dock, which is a new product that was made in response to the firm’s Kickstarter backers. GameStick’s supporters wanted a way to make the device a media center capable of streaming movies.

Players slip the GameStick in the dock. They can charge the controller on top. It has ports for an ethernet cable, HDMI cord, USB and a power cable. It will sell for $35. The system itself can support seven other controllers and has an elegant interface reminiscent of Windows 8’s Metro UI.

This is the dock which will be sold separately.

Johnson said that the selling point for GameStick is that they want to offer consumers a way to play their Android games on the big-screen. But there is a catch. Titles will have to work with its controller. That means the audience will range from “casual to midcore gamers,” according to him. In addition, players will have to buy content through their store. If you own an Android game via Google Play, you can’t port it over to the GameStick.

As for the Kickstarter project that drew a lot of buzz, Johnson said, “It was mind-blowing. It was the single most humbling thing I’ve done.” Interestingly enough, he said that he could see the effort only working in the United States. In the U.K., where PlayJam is based, he doesn’t see the Kickstarter idea electrifying the British public as it has over here.

He said usually with a Kickstarter, company’s know within two days if the idea is a success on the website. What PlayJam discovered was that they immediately touched a nerve and they met their goal within 30 hours. But they did hit a common pitfall when it comes to Kickstarter project, the team didn’t contact their backers for four weeks. “We made a mistake,” Johnson said.

He explained that the team spread out and got the ball rolling setting up GameStick’s ground work. The silence didn’t go over well with their backers.

This is a developer unit kit.

Lastly, Johnson said GameStick could have the upper hand because PlayJam has more experience in the field. They also have a plan that extends beyond the GameStick. They want to build the device, of course. But they’re putting out the tools to build games on their platform to anyone who wants it. They want the GameStick platform on TVs or any other device that wants a gaming element. It offers another revenue stream if the microconsole doesn’t do well.

The GameStick hardware is also not extravagant and won’t break the bank. The ARM Mali-400 chipset is efficient and can handle most of the games thrown at it. Many of the titles they showed looked gorgeous and the system is coming with Shadowgun and Smash Copsinstalled.

For those interested in the GameStick, it sells for $79. And it will eventually be available in retail stores such as Best Buy and GameStop.